Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Part One of Youngest Divine Almost Run Down...plus next three posts constitute the action for Monday, 12 JUN 2006

Youngest in the bushes.

10:05pm Crossing over to the park on Manhattan Avenue I ran into a local hawkwatcher who said he had been watching Dad and Eldest, he thinks it is Eldest anyway, until just a little while ago, going from tree to tree in the park as Eldest was getting mobbed. I decide to start in the park today and take off on the paths and stairs.

11:02pm I've not seen or heard anything in the park so make my way up the hill to Morningside Drive.11:20-12:01pm Mom high in tree overlooking parking lot. Then she takes off and soars over Morningside Park, though the air is so still she actually has to do some flapping now and again. She makes the circuit over to Manhattan Avenue comes back and I loose her in the trees.12:11pm Youngest on balcony rail with a full crop.12:12pm Mom on Gabriel.12:20pm12:40 Make the shade.Big stretch.1:06pm Mom is still up on Gabriel.1:12pm Why are the tips of Youngest's toes so red? Hot? Increased circulation? "Residue"?Blood close to skin for cooling?1:30PM Youngest limp and napping on her feet in the meager shade.

1:35pm It is growing very hot, 90F, and muggy. The hawks are feeling the heat and look like they won't be up to much for hours. Perhaps later when it is cooler there will be some activity. I decide I'll go and visit the inside of the Cathedral. Something I've been wanting to do since I first came up to see the hawks. I've not been inside for years.

2:21pm Done with my outing inside the Cathedral, I turn east on 113th St. for one last look before heading home. And there on the sidewalk is one of the Fledges. She is nervously going back and forth in front of the parking lot fence. This is dicey. I look around, not one Hawkwatcher in sight. What to do? Suddenly a pedestrian walks past me and toward her. I point and ask if he might walk on the other side of the street so as not to frighten her as she seems pretty nervous already. There is a language barrier. He thinks I want to take photographs so he shouldn't startle her. Whatever works. I dig out my camera. She heads for 113th and I go into the street hoping to keep her out of the traffic that periodically rolls by. My friend the pedestrian gets the idea and helps.

2:23pm Youngest investigates a lamp pole possibly for an attempt to get higher off the ground.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWe attempt to keep Youngest from coming into 113th St. traffic by standing in the road.Yes, we're still here.There is a break in the photo action here because I flipped my camera to video. That seemed like a good idea after it started so I have two video clips of Youngest activities during this time frame. They are pretty nifty except they play upside down on my computer. (NO, I didn't have the camera upside down, because the video clip taken later of her in the bushes while situated calmly is also upside down.)She attempts to find an opening in the fence again.

2:26pm Youngest goes back and forth, back and forth, in front of the fence then begins running east towards Morningside Drive.

No photos taken during this interval, things became far too hectic.Somewhere during this process, we've picked up another helper. Amongst the three of us we manage to get the traffic stopped on Morningside and on 113th. Youngest trots across but then is blocked by a parked car. She attempts to flap to it's top, but slides off.